Federal lawsuit outlines complaints against sheriff

The Justice Department complaint against Alamance County Sheriff Terry Johnson was filed on Thursday in the United States District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina.

“From at least January 2007 to the present, Defendant Sheriff Terry S. Johnson, through the deputies under his control and at his direction, has engaged in a pattern or practice of discriminatory law enforcement activities directed against Latinos in Alamance County,” according to the complaint.

“On Sept 26, 2012, counsel for Defendant Johnson declined the United States’ invitation to enter into meaningful settlement discussions, asserting that the United States’ legal conclusions were meaningless and that no remedial measures are needed,” according to the complaint.

The DOJ complaint provides alleged examples of what federal authorities believe to be ACSO activities targeting Latinos. Johnson has repeatedly denied the allegations.

Several of the examples provided in the complaint are listed below:

â–ª In a staff meeting after the implementation of the 287 (g) memorandum of agreement in January 2007, Johnson yelled Â“bring me some Mexicans!Â” while banging his fists on the table.

â–ª Johnson separately instructed two members of ACSOÂ’s command staff to Â“go out there and catch me some Mexicans.Â”

â–ª Johnson directed his deputies to arrest Latinos but not non-Latinos for minor infractions during vehicle checkpoints and traffic stops.

â–ª At a checkpoint in Green Level in June 2011, Johnson instructed his deputies conducting the checkpoint to Â“arrest any Mexicans if they donÂ’t have licenses.Â”

â–ª Johnson ordered checkpoints and other enforcement activities in predominantly Latino areas under the pretext of drug interdiction.

â–ª While participating in a vehicle checkpoint on or about June or July 2011, Johnson told two deputies to Â“go out there and get me some of those taco eaters.Â”

â–ª JohnsonÂ’s remarks frequently assume without any factual basis that all Latinos in North Carolina arrived illegally.

â–ª Johnson tolerates racially insensitive remarks by other members of the ACSOÂ’s command staff, deputies, and correctional officers.

â–ª During a traffic stop on or about April 2010, an ACSO deputy told a Latina passenger, Â“Mexican go home!Â”

â–ª On or about May 2010, after a Latina driver provided her valid North Carolina driverÂ’s license to an ACSO deputy during a traffic stop, the deputy said, Â“you stole it Â– the woman in the picture is pretty and youÂ’re ugly. WeÂ’re going to deport you.Â”

â–ª ACSO detention officers use the terms Â“wetbackÂ” and Â“spicÂ” to refer to Latino individuals in their custody.

â–ª On or about August 2011, an ACSO deputy followed a Latino man for five minutes along Highway 54 before pulling him over. The deputy provided no reason for the stop, cited the driver for driving without a license but with no previously observable violation and arrested him.

â–ª On or about April 2009, an ACSO deputy stopped a Latino man driving in Green Level without probable cause or reasonable suspicion. When the man showed his driverÂ’s license, the deputy asked for his documents, meaning his immigration documents. When the driver asked why he had been stopped, the deputy refused to answer. The deputy also refused to provide his name and badge number. The Latino man was lawfully present in the United States.